Ron Hamad

September 17 - October 26
Opening reception September 17, Wednesday 5:30 - 8:30pm

Ron Hamad creates one-of-a-kind photographs that act as portals to another time. Through his use of landscapes, still lives and figurative studies, Hamad creates dreamscapes that guide you to a meditative state beyond words and reason.

Hamad’s first solo at the gallery will feature seventeen of his 16” x 20” unique Lith prints. Lith prints feature soft, warm, creamy, grainless tones in the highlights, and hard, cold, gritty ones in the shadows. Several photographs feature circular vignettes reminiscent of works created by the earliest photographic pioneers.

Hamad’s photos are streaked with light leaks and distortions - a Hamad trademark that he amplifies through his printing process. Hamad explains his approach as being “more unconscious than conscious,” and adds, “I evoke memories of some transcendent place.”

Prayer, features a woman bowed before us in prayer. Her figure is wrapped in yards of luxurious silk, and the contrasting textures of light and shadow amplify the dramatic, graceful motion of her body. This image of devotion is at once contemporary and ancient, and it highlights Hamad’s romantic approach to these timeless subjects.

A gifted visual storyteller, Hamad relies on simple, yet dramatic compositions. Mossimo, for example, features a dripping wet, half-naked man whose face is hidden by the billowing, richly embroidered sheet he’s spreading out before him. In this single scene, Hamad brings to life the sights and sounds of summer’s pleasures. Fallen Flowers, shot at ground level, features a blurred perspective that transforms the earth-toned blossoms into a metaphor for innocence lost or youth cut down by war.

Hamad’s development as a photographer came late in life, and occurred without the benefit of art schools or mentors. Born and raised, for a time, in the rugged mountains above the sophisticated city of pre-war Beirut, his interest in ancient ways strongly influences his work.

In addition to photography, Hamad is an award-winning commercial film director and has just completed a project with Dennis Hopper. Hamad is noted for his inspired casting and storytelling abilities. His commercial clients include Motorola, Adidas and Showtime promos for The Tutors. Additionally, his photographs reside in many prestigious collections, including those of Anna Getty, composer Garrett Parks, authors Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa and Stacy Simms, and photographer Takashi Iwashashi.